@dwarkesh_sp - What accounts for the surplus of sadism in Russia, which

What accounts for the surplus of sadism in Russia, which allowed Stalin to enforce collectivization, gulags, and the great terror? Thousands upon thousands of people had to steal grain from starving families or torture confessions out of prisoners they know are innocent. "We may think no one really believed the ideology—that it was too ridiculous, too obviously disproven by life. But they did believe. And they were young. You’ve just had World War I: millions dead, the flower of European youth wiped out. For what? Imperialism. Capitalism. So you tell yourself: that’s evil, and we must overcome it. Let’s build a new world today, not tomorrow. Let’s make my small life world historical. There are enemies of this project—the bourgeoisie, or people duped into doing their work. Maybe the person you arrested is innocent. But some people out there are guilty. You know they’re out there. And because they hide so well, you have to overcompensate—to make sure you get every last enemy. You might orchestrate a show trial, pick someone up at random in the night. You might know it’s unjust. But in your marrow, you believe the cause is just. And that makes all the difference." The Stephen Kotkin interview is out now.